


Skylark

by prouvaireafterdark



Series: RNM ficlets [9]
Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Communication, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Insecurity, M/M, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:47:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22601965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prouvaireafterdark/pseuds/prouvaireafterdark
Summary: “Hey, Guerin,” he says with a blush on his cheeks, eyes a little unfocused from the beer he’s clearly been drinking.Michael feels the urge to sweep Alex’s bangs off his forehead and muss his hair a little, but he’s not about to violate their PDA rule, especially not in front of his Air Force buddies.“Hey,” Michael smiles at him before his eyes dart to their audience and the table littered with pitchers of beer and a box of store-bought cookies someone must have sneaked in. “Looks like there’s a party going on over here. Why wasn’t I invited?” he asks before he can stop himself, before that voice in his head tells him that maybe it’s because Alex doesn’t want him here.
Relationships: Alex Manes & Original Character(s), Michael Guerin/Alex Manes
Series: RNM ficlets [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1545418
Comments: 23
Kudos: 234





	Skylark

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lire_Casander](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lire_Casander/gifts).



> Written for [Lire_Casander's](https://lire-casander.tumblr.com/) tumblr prompt: "Why wasn't I invited?"

“Yo, Guerin!”

Michael’s head swivels in the direction of the shout, somewhere on the other side of the Wild Pony. He’s surprised to find a dude he’s never seen before waving him over to a table surrounded by a bunch of other dudes he’s also never seen before.

Michael approaches warily. The guy who called him over looks nice enough, even if his friends are all looking at him like they know something he doesn’t. Well, almost all of them. One man with dark hair has his forehead touching the table next to a mostly empty pint of beer.

“I owe you gentlemen money or somethin’?” Michael asks once he’s in front of them. He studies the faces around the table a little more closely. Military, if he had to guess, going off their regulation haircuts and built frames, but, yeah, still not ringing any bells.

Mystery Guy and his friends chuckle. “You picked a winner, dude,” he says and elbows his friend who currently looks like he’s trying to shrink himself out of existence. Who is also, Michael now realizes with a start, wearing a very familiar yellow flannel.

“Alex?”

Michael’s newly minted boyfriend lifts his head off the table, looking uncharacteristically sheepish.

“Hey, Guerin,” he says with a blush on his cheeks, eyes a little unfocused from the beer he’s clearly been drinking.

Michael feels the urge to sweep Alex’s bangs off his forehead and muss his hair a little, but he’s not about to violate their PDA rule, especially not in front of his Air Force buddies.

“Hey,” Michael smiles at him before his eyes dart to their audience and the table littered with pitchers of beer and a box of store-bought cookies someone must have sneaked in. “Looks like there’s a party going on over here. Why wasn’t I invited?” he asks before he can stop himself, before that voice in his head tells him that maybe it’s because Alex doesn’t want him here.

A wave of hurt washes over him, tightening up his chest, at the realization. If Alex wanted him here, wanted him to meet his friends, he would have texted him. He would have invited him, but… he didn’t. And when Michael showed up, he even looked like he was trying to _hide_. Michael suddenly feels like his entire world has been thrown off balance, the only thought ringing in his head that _Alex doesn’t want him._

Mystery Guy breaks through his thoughts with a bright grin. “Well, I think you just were, man. Have a seat,” he says, gesturing to the empty space on the bench beside Alex.

“Nah, I wouldn’t want to intrude,” Michael says, smiling through onslaught of negative thoughts swirling around his head. “You kids have fun though.”

“What? No, Michael—“ Alex says abruptly, his hand reaching out to circle around Michael’s wrist as he turns to leave, his brow creased in confusion when Michael looks back at him. “Stay.”

“You sure you don’t mind?” Michael asks him, hesitant and searching Alex’s expression for any sign of insincerity.

He finds none as Alex assures him, “Of course not,” with a smile and releases his wrist to grasp his hand.

“Okay,” Michael says, his doubt slowly melting away under Alex’s unflinching gaze.

“Good, it’s about damn time we got to know the infamous Michael Guerin,” Mystery Guy says.

“Seriously,” another guy agrees from down the table.

“Infamous, huh?” Michael asks as he sits down beside Alex, surprised to feel Alex’s hand settle on his knee under the table without hesitation. His touch relaxes Michael considerably, makes him feel grounded again.

“ _Oh yeah_ ,” the guy across from him answers. “He wouldn’t tell us your name at first, but we’ve known about you for _years_ now.”

“Alex’s _one who got away,_ ” Mystery Guy sighs dreamily.

“ _Guys_ ,” Alex complains, but he’s smiling as he does. “Can you not?”

“No, no, I wanna hear this,” Michael says, leaning forward and propping his elbow on the table, his chin resting on the heel of his palm. “Please, go on.”

And go on they do.

It’s not like Michael doesn’t _know_ that Alex continued to have feelings for him during the decade they were apart, but getting confirmation about it from these strangers, Alex’s _friends_ , makes it more real somehow, like their connection exists to more people than just the two of them. The thought warms Michael from the inside out, his insecurities from a moment ago forgotten. _Alex loves you_ , he reminds himself.

Michael also learns that Mystery Guy’s name is Tom. He and the rest of Alex’s friends—Carlos, Jimmy, Ryan, and Gabe—go on to share stories about what a stone cold badass Alex was in the field and all the shenanigans they got up to overseas, mercilessly teasing one another the way only people who have fought and bled together can.

It’s nice, getting to know the people that were there for Alex when he couldn’t be. Before long, though, it’s late and several of their number have an early morning so they go their separate ways with tentative plans to do this again sometime.

Michael offers to drive Alex home even though he’s more than likely sobered up enough by now to drive himself. Alex smiles at him and takes him up on it.

“Did you have fun tonight?” Alex asks as they walk through the parking lot toward Michael’s truck.

“Yeah,” Michael answers. “It was nice to put some faces to the names.”

“Good,” he smiles. “I’m glad you stayed.”

“Me too,” Michael agrees.

It’s not until they’re sitting in his truck, Michael’s hand about to turn the key in the ignition that Alex asks him, “How come you almost didn’t?”

“Hm?”

“Earlier, when you first saw us, you seemed—I don’t know. Sad, for a minute there. Is everything okay?”

“I wasn’t sad,” Michael lies, and Alex frowns at him.

“Michael,” Alex says softly. “Talk to me.”

Michael chews on his bottom lip and looks down at the dashboard. “It’s nothing,” he shrugs.

“Bullshit,” Alex says, cupping Michael’s face in his palm so he’ll meet his eyes. “What happened?”

“It’s stupid.”

“If it made you upset, it’s not stupid.”

Michael sighs in resignation. “Why were you hiding when I came over to the table?”

“Hiding?” he asks, head cocked to the side.

“Yeah, you had your head on the table like you were trying not to be seen when your friends waved me over.”

“I wasn’t hiding,” Alex explains. “You just—Gabe caught me staring at you when you walked in and they started teasing me about it. And then when they called you over I just thought ‘ _fuck_ , now they’re gonna give _both of us_ shit’ and I was just being a little dramatic about it.”

“Oh.” Michael lets that sink in a minute.

“Why?” Alex continues. “What did you think the reason was?”

Michael hesitates.

“Michael, please,” Alex whispers. “This isn’t gonna work if we keep holding back with each other.”

It’s that, the suggestion that Alex will leave him if he can’t learn to communicate, that finally rips the truth from Michael. “I thought… I don’t know, I thought maybe you didn’t want them to meet me, that you didn’t… want me there.”

A stricken look passes over Alex’s face. He swallows before he says, “Michael, come here.”

“What?”

“Come here,” Alex repeats, and pats the part of the bench nearest to him. Michael scoots over and when he’s close enough Alex throws an arm over his shoulders and pulls Michael even closer so they’re flush together, hip to hip.

“I love you,” Alex says, looking at him right in the eyes so he knows he’s telling the truth. “You know that, right?”

“Yeah, of course, I do,” Michael nods, and he _does_ , even if he needs the reminder sometimes.

“If—if you’ve _ever_ doubted that then that’s on me and I’m _so_ sorry—“

“Alex, it’s okay—“

“It’s _not_ okay!” Alex counters, outraged. “I _never_ want you to feel like you’re not loved or wanted or—“ Alex’s pitch has risen, his voice growing thick with emotion and Michael reaches for him, pulling him into a fierce hug.

“I don’t, _Alex_ , it’s okay,” Michael murmurs in his ear as Alex clings to him. “I know that you love me. I just thought maybe you weren’t ready to have your Air Force buddies meet your delinquent boyfriend, that’s all.” He says it like a joke, but Alex makes a small noise of protest and pulls back to look at him.

“I’ve done a lot of things in my life that I’m ashamed to admit,” Alex says at last, his voice shaky, “but loving you _has never_ and _will never_ be one of them, okay? Every single day, I’m _proud_ to be with you.”

Michael closes his eyes, utterly overwhelmed by the truth of Alex’s words, the love in his heart almost too much to bear. No one’s ever told him that before, and honestly? After years of feeling like Alex’s dirty little secret, it’s something he really needed to hear.

He feels Alex’s fingers on his neck and allows himself to be pulled back into his embrace, settling against him with his left hand curled around Alex’s hip.

“And you say you’re not good with words,” Michael says into the collar of Alex’s shirt.

Alex laughs softly and pets his hair. “You’re staying over tonight,” he says, voice matter of fact as he kisses the crown of his head. “And when you wake up, we’re going to the Crashdown for breakfast.”

“Oh yeah?” Michael asks, interest piqued.

“Mhmm,” Alex confirms lightly. “Gotta show off my gorgeous, delinquent boyfriend, don’t I?”

Michael laughs and holds on to him tighter.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr [@prouvaireafterdark!](https://prouvaireafterdark.tumblr.com/)


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